1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of shower facilities having a plurality of shower heads. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an automated water pressure and/or temperature control system for shower facilities having multiple shower heads and systems and methods for remotely controlling the water temperature and/or pressure of a plurality of shower heads. Another aspect of the systems and methods of the present invention is an innovative and novel housing for the system electromechanical controller which is dimensioned to advantageously allow placement of this portion of the system within the confines of a wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
In high-end shower facilities there are a variety of showers which are currently available that provide multiple shower heads or other sources of water that may be manually adjusted and controlled for temperature and water pressure by an individual. In these conventional systems, as many as five or more different shower heads or water sources are provided. Typically the shower heads or water sources are located in various locations throughout the single facility. These known systems typically provide a single manual control for operation of a plurality of shower heads.
In these existing showers, an individual is able to adjust a shower temperature and/or pressure for the various shower heads by manually controlling one or more valves for hot and cold water which feed a common pipe that in turn feeds each of a plurality of shower heads in the common facility. In most of the systems, a single manual control valve is provided for controlling both the blend of hot and cold water as well as the pressure of the water output from each of the showerheads. Individual control of each of the shower heads or water sources for the temperature and pressure of the water transmitted by these sources is only possible by installing a pressure control valve for each individual water outlet.
One of the shortcomings of the conventional systems is that a single control point for multiple shower heads or water sources typically does not provide the user with the flexibility for controlling each of the showers or sources to a desired flow or pressure and temperature. Furthermore, other conventional designs do not allow the user to have sufficient flexibility and ease-of-use in manipulating the controls of the various showerheads. Furthermore, the control systems for these devices are often cumbersome and difficult to install. The users of these types of shower systems usually want to have greater flexibility in controlling each of the various shower heads as to both temperature and pressure. They will also find it convenient to program water spray type, pulse rate, or time etc.
Another significant problem with the existing conventional systems is that any temperature adjustment must be made manually by altering a single temperature adjustment control. This is typically accomplished by manually adjusting a valve which alters the amounts of hot and cold water flowing through the entire system. While this can provide satisfactory results, most existing shower systems are susceptible to temperature fluctuations due to variations in output from water heaters and system pressure variations.
The present invention is directed to various systems and methods for providing automated control over both water temperature and pressure for a plurality of shower heads or other sources of water at a single location. In the preferred exemplary embodiment, the automated systems and methods for providing automated control over both water pressure and temperature of the present invention make use of three distinct modules or systems which comprise an input and display unit, an electronic signal processing unit, and the electromechanical plumbing control unit.
The electronic processing unit is preferably connected to the input and display unit via a cable which in the preferred exemplary embodiment is preferably an RS 485 cable. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, control signals are transmitted from a remote control unit to the electronic processing unit via either radio waves or infrared transmission. The electronic processing unit receives signals from the input and display unit and translates the received signals into the appropriate control signals for the mechanical plumbing control unit. Additionally, feedback signals are utilized to provide any necessary information for making the appropriate adjustments by the system. A user is able to control the output water temperature from each of the shower heads or water sources as well as the individual water pressure for each of the shower heads or water sources.
The electronic processing unit is preferably located within approximately 65 feet from the input and display unit. This is preferred in order to ensure that the appropriate signals are received and decoded based on the originally transmitted signals. The input and display unit is also capable of transmitting control signals for another unit such as, for example, a light, a CD player or radio in order to add even greater flexibility to the overall system. These signals are also processed by the electronic processing unit.
The mechanical plumbing control unit of the preferred exemplary embodiment is comprised of a thermostatic valve which receives water input from hot and cold supply lines. The output of the thermostatic valve in turn feeds an assembly comprised of a manifold. The manifold provides outputs to each of the shower heads or other sources of water. The manifold assembly includes a plurality of solenoid valves which respectively selectively control the flow of water from the manifold leading to the individual showerhead installations.
The setting of the thermostatic control valve which operates under the control of the electronic processing unit determines the temperature of the water output to each of the shower heads or other sources of water. A temperature sensing member is inserted in line from the output of the thermostatic control valve which provides the current blend of hot and cold water. The electronic processing unit receives a single representative of the actual water temperature at the output of the thermostatic valve. This signal is used in order to provide feedback to the electronic processing unit which is able to determine the appropriate adjustment for hot and cold water inlet valves of the thermostatic valve based on a user selected or desired temperature.
If the actual water temperature is too great, the thermostatic control valve may either increase the flow of cold water or decrease the flow of hot water or both. The converse is also true for situations where the actual water temperature is too low.
The blended water output from the thermostatic valve passes by the temperature sensing element and into a manifold which in the preferred exemplary embodiment includes five outputs for transmitting the blended water to a corresponding showerhead or other water source. Each of the five outputs from the manifold has a corresponding solenoid valve control which is used to turn on and off water flowing from the corresponding showerhead or other water source. Each of the solenoid valve controls of the manifold is in electrical communication with the electronic control unit. The user is able to select the desired water output from each of the respective shower heads or water sources based on user selection input to the input and display unit. The user may selectively turn on and off the flow of water from at any of the shower heads or sources of water via automatic control of the solenoid valves. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, where the solenoid valves are replaced with more capable electromechanical control valves, the user is able to actually individually adjust the water pressure at each of the individual showerheads. The solenoid valves have been selected in the preferred exemplary embodiment in order to reduce the cost of the overall system.
In accordance with the systems and methods of the present invention, a user is able to selectively modify both temperature and pressure on a plurality of shower heads or other water sources. The system provides the user with tremendous flexibility and is both safe and simple to operate. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes in a specific design are possible which nevertheless will utilize the concepts disclose herein with reference to the present invention.